Never Again
by Inspyre
Summary: Many people were happy for Gus and Felicity. They finally had come together, after all they had been through. However, not everyone was pleased about Gus and Felicity's marriage ... and after freely expressing their opinions, things go downhill for Gus and Felicity ...


**I don't own Road to Avonlea or any of it's lovely characters. It all belongs to Sullivan Entertainment.**

**Setting:** **After their honeymoon, Gus and Felicity settled into the Foundling Home. Felicity spent most of her time in the home, making up for lost time with the children.**

* * *

Gus, using his cane to guide him, walked into the general store. Immediately he heard voices - the town gossips, he guessed. He didn't bother listening to what they were saying. All they spread were lies. He avoided the shadows moving in the corner, and was about to walk over to the counter, when he picked up snippets of what the gossips were saying. He froze.

"Why'd Felicity turn away poor Stuart McRae? He's a banker - a respectable man. What was she thinking of when she married that Gus Pike?" Said Clara Potts.

"I heard he forced Felicity to break her engagement to Stuart" Eulalie Bugle added.

"She's too good for him."

"He's blind as a bat! How does he expect to care for Felicity?"

A mix of emotions erupted within Gus. Anger, hurt - and regret. He had heard enough. He swung his cane wildly, found the door, and burst out of the store. He didn't care about how much noise he was making. He didn't care. One thought rose above all the others in his mind - he had to get away. He ran, ignoring the fact that he was running blindly. Listening for cues on where he was, he ran in the direction of his old home.

* * *

Felicity was growing anxious. Gus should have been back from getting the groceries by now. At once, her mind leapt to awful assumptions - visions of Gus tripping, falling - blindly walking in front of a buggy. Felicity jumped up from her chair.

"Tell the others I'll be back soon" she said to the nearest child, putting on a shawl. She tried to keep calm, for the childrens sake. When she was out the door, she began to run. She didn't even think of where she was going, but soon found herself inside the general store.

She leaned heavily on the counter, startling Muriel and everyone else in the building. "Have you seen Gus?" she gasped.

Muriel looked confused, concerned. "I think I saw him run out about half an hour ago. I was helping Mrs. Lester pick out fabric."

"Thank you" Felicity said hurriedly, turning to leave.

"Felicity, what's wrong?"

Muriel could see Felicity was fighting her emotions, unsure of whether to explain or leave. Finally she spoke, tension clear in her voice.

"I sent Gus to get some groceries, and he hasn't gotten back yet. I'm worried something's happened to him."

Before Muriel could reply, Clara Potts piped up.

"He must've had second thoughts. Gone to return to someone overseas, no doubt. A previous lover, perhaps." her next comment was to her companions "You know the sailor type" The others nodded, muttering things among themselves.

"That's absurd. Gus can barely see, he wouldn't be able to make it to a ship," She winced. It pained her to say it. "Besides, he wouldn't do that. He hasn't kept anything from me." But she couldn't ignore the nervous mixture of doubt and fear in the pit of her stomach, wondering ... Had he really?

Muriel glared at the gossips, who were still exchanging possibilities of where Gus's intentions lay.

"Felicity, I'm sure there's a good reason he hasn't come back yet."

Knowing that she should ignore everything that Clara Potts had said, she couldn't help wondering if it might be true. But there had been no signs ... nothing. She nodded unconsciously in Muriel's direction, and left the store. She headed for the shore. If she knew Gus - and of course she did, didn't she? - he would be there. Multiple scenarios raced through her head, none of them seeming very realistic. She looked up. Without realizing it, Felicity had arrived in front of the very place she was aiming for. If he wasn't there, she didn't know where else to look. She entered the lighthouse. There sat Gus, staring ahead in his unseeing way. The way that always made Felicity's heart pang. She closed the door behind her.

"Who's there?" he called out.

"Gus, it's me." Felicity said, relieved - but a little tentative. "I was worried." She rushed to hug him, but Gus thrust out his hand to grab her arm.

"We need to talk."

Felicity sat down next to him, confused, frightened. "About what?"

"About us."

Her heart skipped a beat. No, Clara Potts was wrong. She had to be. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard the people talk?"

Felicity felt more confused. "What talk?" she looked into Gus's face, hoping for some explanation for his behaviour. "What is this about?"

Gus took her by the shoulders. "Look, Felicity. You're too good fer me. You always were. I'm not able to do all the things I should fer you. You should go back to Stuart McRae."

Felicity shook her head, denying all the things he said. The things he couldn't really mean. "Gus, you're not making any sense." her voice held a hint of fear - like he was playing one big joke on her. One big, serious joke.

His demeanor stayed the same."You heard me."

"You can't be serious." She searched his face for any hint at all - anything that revealed what he was thinking.

His voice lowered, became softer, quieter. "I need to do what's best fer you."

Her voice rose in an angry eruption of emotions."What's best for me?! You think that leaving me is what's best for me?! Gus, I love you with all of my heart and soul. If you left -"

"You should be with someone who can care best fer you. Not a blind man like me." he started to get up. Felicity grabbed at his arm, her voice laced with hysteria.

"Gus, you can't leave me! I won't let you! I won't lose you again!" Gus continued walking towards the door. Felicity tried again. "Gus, I can't live without you!"

Gus stopped, then turned around. His face was full of pain, like he was fighting with himself. "What they said -" His voice broke "What they said - all of it was true."

"What who said?" she said slowly, trying to draw out what had upset her Gus.

He firmed his chin, only making him look more pained. "They were right - you're too good for me, Felicity. You always were. I can't care fer you right." He lowered his gaze so that he almost - almost looked straight into her eyes. "I have to let you go. I have to leave."

Silence. Gus turned to leave, his cane tapping the walls until he found the door. Felicity's daze shattered.

"Gus! You can't do this!" she grasped for his arm, getting a handful of his shirt. He tore away, his face void of emotion. He opened the door. He was doing it. He was really doing it. It all sank in, all at once. She panicked - grabbed his arm, tried to pull him back. Back to her.

"Gus!" he pulled against her. "Gus, I went all the way down to South Carolina on only a whim - only a faint hope - that you were alive."

"Felicity, I -"

"No, Gus Pike - you listen to me." he struggled against her. "I wouldn't have gone if I didn't need you, Gus. Can't you see that? I would have gone despite anything. Anything. Are you so selfish that all you can think about is yourself?" he stopped fighting her. He was starting to get angry. She could see it. "You think you know what's best for me? That everything will suddenly be 'alright' if you leave?" she paused, trying hard to hold herself together. "You weren't here to see what it was like for me when I thought you'd drowned. You weren't here to see how I died inside." she couldn't hold the tears anymore. "Is that what you want, Gus? To make me go through that again? After thinking I had you back for good?" he turned towards her, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Felicity" he said, simply. But with that one word he said everything. He was sorry. He was foolish. He was hurting just as much as she was. He hugged her close.

She buried her face in his shirt, letting her tears flow. "Don't ever leave me again, Gus."

"I ain't leavin you again. Not ever. I could never live without you"

"I love you, Gus. So, so much." Felicity sobbed into his shirt. Gus lifted her chin and kissed her.

****"I love you Felicity. I will never leave you. Never again."


End file.
